20 baby names that could come back into fashion thanks to '100 year' pattern

Baby name experts have identified a selection of monikers that are set to become very popular once more due to a little-known '100 year rule'.

For parents, deciding what to name a newborn can be a lengthy and difficult process. The list of most common choices changes year-on-year, with some many names falling out of fashion as new ones pop up.

However, they can sometimes re-emerge a century later, with this pattern often repeating itself. And research has predicted the top names for boys and girls that could be making a comeback next.

The findings from family history brand Findmypast also revealed that royal events influence the popularity of baby names. For instance the name Elizabeth shot up by 16 percent in 1926, which is when the Queen was born.

Similarly, the birth of Prince Harry in 1984 made the name more popular even decades later, after it started to fall out of fashion in the 60s and 70s.

Wales Online reports that Findmypast expects the royal obsession to continue across the next decade with families looking to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s children, Lillibet and Archie, for inspiration.

Royal marriages also acted as a huge inspiration for baby names historically - with a whopping 56 percent increase in babies named Phillip in 1947, the year the Prince married Elizabeth.

Diana also saw a resurgence in 1981, in celebration of her wedding to Prince Charles with a staggering 122 percent increase in babies named after her.

Digitised exclusively by Findmypast and revealed to the public for the first time a century later, the 1921 Census revealed the most popular names for children under one.

Using this data, history buffs have predicted which names are likely to see a resurgence.You can now easily uncover the history of individual names online using Findmypast’s What’s In a Name search tool.

10 girl baby names set to make a comeback

1. Joan

2. Mary

3. Margaret

4. Dorothy

5. Gladys

6. Irene

7. Iris

8. Elsie

9. Ada

10. Mabel

10 boy baby names set to make a comeback

1. Ronald

2. Arthur

3. Robert

4. Albert

5. Freddie

6. Edward

7. Archie

8. Ernest

9. Isaac

10. Harris

Mary McKee, Head of Content Publishing Operations at Findmypast, said: “History always has a tendency to repeat itself and baby names are no exception. All roads point to Joan as parents are increasingly looking to name their baby girls after strong female historical figures, and who better to take inspiration from than Joan of Arc.

"When it comes to boys’ names, these have a tendency of coming back into fashion but as their nickname equivalent - Frederick becomes Freddie, Archibald becomes Archie and so there is every chance that Ronald could come back into circulation as Ronnie.”

The resurgence has even already begun for some names, with Arthur, Freddie and Edward re-entering 2023’s Top 100 Baby Names for boys, and Rose, Iris and Elsie all featuring on the list for girls.

10 most popular boys names in 1921

1. John

2. William

3. George

4. Thomas

5. James

6. Ronald

7. Arthur

8. Robert

9. Albert

10. Frederick

10 most popular girls names in 1921

1. Mary

2. Margaret

3. Dorothy

4. Joan

5. Doris

6. Irene

7. Kathleen

8. Gladys

9. Elsie

10. Joyce

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